


A Lethal Observer [Book 2]

by ZariaKnox



Series: Lethal Weapon [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 19:49:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14143281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZariaKnox/pseuds/ZariaKnox
Summary: After learning about her connection to Amane Uchiha, Hanako, her sister Hikari, and Shisui decide to research for themselves what is the truth about Hanako’s abilities. Now as an Anbu, she has enough time to discover the limits of her power, while gathering information on the village’s enemies. At the same time, Fugaku has been organizing important Clan meetings in which he ignites the clan’s disgust for the village’s policies. Will Fugaku’s plans interfere with Hanako’s job as an Anbu, or will she have to choose between her life as an Uchiha and her life as a Konoha Shinobi?*Fanfiction based on "Naruto" from Masashi Kishimoto. The characters of this story don't belong to me, except for some of the OC's. There is no copyright infringement intended in the production of this story.





	1. PROLOGUE

_Hanako Uchiha walked_ through a small passage. It was dark and humid; barely lit by torches. She looked at the ground and noticed the small rats moving from side to side until they would find a hole in the wall and creep into it. Moss covered all the corners and gave the place a smell similar to wet rock at the sides of a river. The brunette narrowed her eyes in disgust and continued walking.

The girl came to a halt when she sensed someone near. She looked up to find a carnivorous plant-like creature in which inside resided a human-like being. Half of it was white while the other half was black. Hanako sighed in recognition.

“Zetsu.” The humanoid walked up to her until he stood right in front of her small figure.

“ **It’s been a while,** ” its black side spoke in a deep tone.

“Certainly.” Hanako’s eyes widened slightly when she sensed the person she was looking for.

“You’ve grown.” This time, the white side spoke in a relatively warmer voice.

“And you haven’t changed,” Hanako murmured as she saw him catch a rat and, after analyzing it for bit, shoved it into his mouth. “At all.” He chuckled.

“I can’t help it, they’re delicious.” The brunette made a disgusted face as she walked past him, deeper into the corridor.

“Where is he?” the girl asked as she neared the end of the hall.

“ **Turn to the right, the third door at your left,** ” the black side announced. “ **Although, you should be able to tell. After all, you’re a sensor type, aren’t you?** ” Hanako scoffed.

“I am, but it just would be too rude to make my way through your place without saying anything, don’t you think?” She smirked as she turned to look at Zetsu one last time.

“ **It’s not like I care. I’m always watching, I know what happens inside and outside of these walls.** ” Hanako turned back forward with a sigh.

“That’s to be expected from Akatsuki’s spy. Being able to move freely through the ground... Here you could rarely have any privacy.” The girl made her way through the slightly darker corridor until she found herself before the door Zetsu had said. Hanako could feel  _his_  chakra in there as well so she knew she wasn’t mistaken. The girl placed her hand on the handle and turned it to open the door slowly.

“Did anyone ever teach you how to knock?” Hanako was greeted by a man’s deep and emotionless voice. Through the years it had gotten even darker.

“I’m glad to see you, too.” Hanako closed the door behind her and walked over to a chair near his desk. She recognized Obito. He was lying on his bed, his eyes closed and his features relaxed.

“What brings you here?” he inquired as he opened one of his eyes to look at the thirteen-year-old girl. Hanako looked right into his Sharingan. His one and only.

“You already started recruiting members,” the girl stated. She knew that for the time being it wasn’t really her business, but she was starting to hear a lot of rumors regarding the Akatsuki, especially from the elders.

“Yeah, like one or two.” Obito sat up and looked at her, intently. His mask was on the floor, so she just stared at his scarred face. “Technically, I didn’t create the Akatsuki. It’s just my new affiliation that will help me achieve my goals.” Hanako’s eyes narrowed.

“Affiliation?”

“Yeah, it was harsh to convince Nagato to join the cause, but after some issues in Amegakure he finally complied along with his companion, Konan.” He closed his eye and sighed loudly. “The third member of their party, Yahiko, and the rest of his pitiful organization died in a tragic battle.” He chuckled. “Now it’s time for the rebirth. This will be a whole new Akatsuki. It’s about time I started recruiting new members. I would’ve recruited you as well, but you’re still too young.” Hanako smirked.

“I don’t want to take part in this, let alone join your organization,” she replied getting up.

“Then what are you doing here?” Obito asked in faint mockery. Hanako didn’t say anything. “You already know too much. You could say you are already a member, kid,” he said harshly and Hanako glared daggers at him for the way he had called her.

“I’m not a kid.”

“You’re barely thirteen,” he countered as he reached for his mask and placed it over his face, hiding all the scars in his face. “You are young enough to be called a kid. That’s what you are.” Obito stood up and walked to the exit of his room. He opened the door and motioned for the girl to follow him outside. Hanako walked behind him until they reached the exit of the hideout. The base was located somewhere between Takigakure and Otogakure’s borders. It was known as Mountains’ Graveyard, for it had lots of bones of large creatures jutting out over the large and dense forestry.

“So, how are you going to differentiate your renewed Akatsuki from the former one?” Hanako asked as she raised an eyebrow, looking at him.

“The wardrobe.” He shrugged. “Black cloaks with red clouds. Simple enough.”

“Like some kind of uniform?” She chuckled.

“There will only be ten members. A large organization would draw too much attention, plus it’s inefficient.” The girl frowned slightly.

“This means, you only need five more members, counting Zetsu and the other two you already gathered.” He shook his head.

“We need seven more members.” Hanako narrowed her eyes.

“Seven? Didn’t you just say you only needed ten members?”

“I also said that you were still too young, and I don’t want to draw the attention. I prefer to stay in the shadows for the time being. So, we’re both out of question.” They walked further into the woods until they reached a clearing.

“And what about Zetsu?” Hanako asked.

“He will be filling me in on information. Nagato will run the Akatsuki on his own for a while. I will just be travelling, looking for new worthy members.”

“So, you’re leaving the Fire Country?”

“I will be leaving, but there’s something I have to do first.” He now had his mask on but still Hanako could sense the malicious grin from underneath it. She wondered just what the man was thinking. “It’s time for you to go back; they’ve probably already noticed your absence.” Obito used the  _Kamui_  on himself to move onto his own dimension. “We’ll meet again soon enough, Hanako.” His voice sounded as an echo through the woods. The girl sighed and continued her way back to the village. It’s true that maybe her team had already noticed she was gone, but it still would take her at least three or four hours to reach the gates. She was going to take her time since she wasn’t on a rush. She had the day off after all.

Hanako walked for about an hour when she sensed a familiar chakra moving through the ground behind her. She smirked.

“You shouldn’t be following me wherever I go, Zetsu.” Then she felt the chakra move to the tree trunk beside her and he just popped out of it. Hanako noticed that his black half was gone and she narrowed her eyes. “Did you come alone or where is your other half?”

“Kuro went with Tobi. He said they got something to discuss about.” The brunette frowned slightly at the name.

“Tobi?” Shiro laughed and apologized.

“That’s how he asked us to call him. You should know as well, so you don’t go around calling him by his name.” Hanako scoffed.

“I thought he would be calling himself  _Madara_  now that the real one is gone.” She looked at the ground.

“Madara is a name that would draw too much attention, especially from the Five Great Nations,” Shiro said and Hanako just nodded sighing.

“Right.” She glanced at him sideways. He was nervous, and she noticed it. “What happened, Shiro?” He jumped slightly when the girl called him.

“Eh? Nothing...” He looked away as he came out from the trunk entirely and stood before her. He was taller than her, and Hanako hated the fact that she had to look up to see his face.

“Something’s going on,” she said seriously. He shook his head almost immediately.

“It’s nothing, really.” Hanako narrowed her eyes. “I just think I grew accustomed to being with Kuro all the time and now I kind of find it strange not hearing his sarcastic comments.” She sighed.

“And what about Guruguru?” Hanako continued walking, this time with a quicker pace. She knew something was wrong, and she had a bad feeling about it.

“I actually haven’t seen him in a while.” He rushed to catch up with her. “The last time was before Madara-sama passed away.”

“That’s a shame...” the girl murmured. “He was a good guy.” Hanako looked sideways at Shiro Zetsu. “He never kept anything to himself; he always told me whenever something was bothering him.” She smirked when she felt Shiro’s chakra tense. He didn’t say anything after that and they kept moving in silence for another two hours. One more and they would be close to Konoha’s gates. The sun had gone down and a full moon was now hovering in the sky, just like the one when the Kyuubi appeared. The bad feeling in Hanako’s stomach only seemed to increase.

The girl came to a halt and closed her eyes. She felt Shiro stop next to her. Hanako had a feeling he knew what was happening and didn’t want to tell her, or wasn’t allowed. Then she had to just make him tell her by force.

“Hanako-neechan?” Hanako heard him mutter in confusion. In a second, she pulled out a kunai from her pouch and pulled it to his neck. He looked at her with wide eyes.

“You’re slowing me down,” she said coldly. Hanako opened her eyes with the Sharingan activated and looked directly into his eyes. “Tell me what’s going on.” She hadn’t used any Genjutsu on him...yet.

“I... don’t...” he stuttered, making the girl narrow her eyes.

“You’re keeping me from reaching the village. Tell me.” Hanako was starting to get really angry. “Now.”

“I can’t...” he just said and she smirked evilly. It would have to be by force then.

“Fine.” This time she did apply a Genjutsu on him and everything around them became dark. From the ground grew tight roots that tied Shiro and kept him from moving. His eyes widened even more and Hanako just smirked. Her kunai grew larger as Zetsu fell to his knees. “Too bad that pain doesn’t work on you since you’re artificial.” The girl crouched to lower herself to his level. “But that won’t keep me from getting the information.” Hanako stabbed him in his leg and he let out a gasp. “This is my world, and I can make you feel pain if I want to.” She could see the fear in his eyes. He might be an artificial human, but he was almost a person. Unlike Kuro, he showed his emotions and his feelings. That’s probably the reason why she would get along just fine with him and why she preferred white Zetsu over the black one.

“Tonight’s the night...” he barely spoke. “He would help him...”

“Help who?” Hanako narrowed her eyes.

“That Uchiha brat.” Her body tensed at the mention of her clan name. “I don’t recall his name...was it Kinpachi? Atachi?” She almost felt her heart stop.

“Itachi...” Hanako mumbled.

“Yeah...Itachi. That was it.” Shiro was losing his consciousness. She knew then that she had to finish quickly.

“He would help Itachi do what?” she asked almost desperate.

“Kill them. All of them.” His eyes started to close.

“WHO?” She almost screamed.

“The...Uchiha.” Hanako’s eyes widened as Zetsu’s white half fell to ground motionless. She sprinted through the woods until she reached the village gates in less than ten minutes. Without looking at the guards, she rushed to the compound to find it in silence. All the lights were off.

She walked through the streets silently. Nothing moved; nothing seemed to make a sound. This place was strangely silent and the atmosphere was so tense she could easily cut it with a knife. That was until she heard a faint scream and turned around rushing to the sound’s origin. Her heart was beating rapidly and she could almost feel it coming out of her chest. Hanako made it to the street from where the sound came. It was completely covered in dead corpses. The blood dripped over the walls and stained the ground. She felt her hand move to cover her mouth as tears started to form in her eyes. Her feet started to move on their own as they guided her towards her home.

Hanako stood at the door and opened it slightly. She heard nothing. The girl entered without greeting and without taking her sandals off. She needed to know if her mom and siblings were okay, if they were still alive...

They were.

She could sense their chakra faintly but it was fading. Hanako also noticed her twin brothers weren’t there, only her mom and Hikari, and they were both dying. She found them at the back of the house, severely wounded and their chakra almost drained. She deduced that there had been a fight.

The Uchiha kneeled beside her mother and took her hand. She had long tried to stop the tears from falling. There was no use, they weren’t going to stop.

“Hanako...” She heard her mumble and leaned in closer to her. “Take care of your brothers,” her mother let out in a sigh. “I love you so much...” She sensed her crying from how her voice sounded. It pained her to see her mother like this.

“I’m sorry...for being so late.” Hanako tightened her fists.

“Hanako.” The girl heard Hikari’s voice a couple of meters away from where she was. She turned back to her mother only to notice that her face was pale and her eyes were already closed. She wasn’t breathing anymore and her pulse had already stopped. She was dead. Hanako closed her eyes and stood up nearing where Hikari lay and knelt down next to her. “Is that you?” The Uchiha smiled slightly.

“Yes, Nee-chan. It’s me.” She felt a new set of tears fall from her eyes. ‘ _Why did this have to happen? Why did I have to be so late_?’ she thought, closing her eyes tightly. “Dammit.”

“It’s okay, Hanako.” She smiled. “I’m not in pain...” Her voice sounded a little hoarse. She turned her head slightly to look at her little sister. “I want you to make me a promise,” she said and Hanako just nodded. “Promise me you’ll live. You will take care of Ryusuke and Hayato. You will train them and protect them with your life. I also want you to be happy. Get married, have kids and tell your grandchildren your story. Live long...” Her last words were barely a whisper. “I love you, little sister...” she let it out in her last breath. Her chakra faded and Hanako knew this was the end.

“Oh my...how sentimental,” a deep voice mocked. “So much that it’s disgusting.” Hanako glared at the man behind her, and charged at him with a kunai in hand. He swiftly kicked her on her stomach and she went flying to the opposite wall, crashing into it. The girl activated her Sharingan and looked around for him but didn’t find him anywhere. “Looking for me?” She heard him and felt as his hand suddenly gripped her neck, letting her breath away. “You’re a shame; you weren’t even able to save your own family.” He threw her once again against the wall and Hanako gasped as she coughed out blood. His mask... his cloak... This was Tobi... So, this was what Shiro Zetsu meant. The massacre...

Hanako opened her eyes and found herself in her room lying on her bed. She got up from it and walked to the other side of the room to stand in front of the full body mirror that was next to the door. The Uchiha looked at herself, she was ten years old, not thirteen. ‘ _How strange_.’ Hanako narrowed her eyes and looked at her face. Was it a dream?

Then she noticed her eyes. Her Sharingan was activated but not with the usual three tomoes. This one had a different form. Her chakra flow was wild so she figured she was in an illusion. Although she couldn’t sense anyone’s chakra near, not even Shisui’s. Hanako deactivated the Sharingan and her chakra went back to normal. ‘ _So, it was self-inflicted,_ ’ she thought. But now the question was, how she had managed to catch herself in a Genjutsu without realizing it. Strangely, it had felt so real. Hanako sighed and went back to bed.

“What was it?” she mumbled to herself. Then she closed her eyes and drifted once again back to sleep. “What...was it?”


	2. The Stone Figure

_Hanako and Kakashi_ had been sent on a mission in the nearest border with Iwagakure. They had to retrieve an object they had no information about except that it was made of stone. At the moment, they knew it was stolen by a group of rogue ninja.

“Have you found anything?” Hanako looked at Kakashi climbed to a tree. He was looking down at her through his Anbu mask.

“No, I can’t feel any chakra either,” she replied, taking off her mask she breathed the forest night air.

Kakashi landed right next to her, giving her a strange look. “You’re not supposed to take off your mask while on duty.”

Hanako laughed. “Any other ‘newbie rules’ I’m supposed to follow?” She looked at him with a smirk. Wind blew softly, swaying her long brown hair, tied up into a high ponytail.

Kakashi took off his mask and raised an eyebrow. “Why don’t we take a break?”

“Thanks, cap.” Hanako didn’t let her smirk drop and instead grinned wider. “Hey… why is it I’m always sent to these missions with just you? Don’t you have a team?”

“I do.”

“Then?” Hanako looked at him curiously. “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable with more people?”

Kakashi looked at her. There was a strange longing feeling in his eyes that made Hanako gulp and look away. “Actually, no. I’d rather be alone.”

Hanako flinched, “Oh, I’m sorry I bothered you.”

He sighed. “That’s not what I meant. Too many people I’m responsible of, I’d rather have them stay. For their sakes.”

Hanako smiled cynically. “What a nice way of saying you don’t care what happens to me.”

Kakashi rolled his eyes, “You know that’s not what I—”

“No, it’s okay.” Hanako met his eyes and smiled again. “Sometimes I don’t care what happens to me either. Is the mission that matters isn’t it? That’s what Ibiki taught me.” She finished, walking past him to stare into the night.

“Hanako…” Kakashi tried to say, but he was stopped by Hanako covering his mouth over his tissue mask. She was looking straight into some far away trees.

“I feel chakra, at four o’clock.” They both became serious and put their Anbu masks back on.

Four shinobi were traveling fast in their direction. Hanako and Kakashi rapidly hid in the tree tops and watched them as they approached. One of them seemed to have sensed their presence and forced the rest of his team to stop. “Wait! I think someone followed us.”

The four men looked at their surroundings, trying to find anyone who might have discovered them. Hanako looked at them intently. They wore no village protector and their clothes seemed to belong to nowhere in particular. She smiled. They were just simple bandits, running away with some kind of leverage on their side, which seemed to be hidden in the bag one of them was carrying.

Hanako jumped from the tree. Kakashi looked at her closely, waiting for her to do her thing. Hanako was a specialist in information gathering, and of course, that included questioning.

She landed in front of the bandits and looked at them with a raised eyebrow. “You seem to have important cargo. May I know what’s in the bag?”

They all stood defensively around the man with the bag, pointing their knives at her. “Nothing that concerns you.”

Hanako smirked. “Let me be the judge to that.” Her eyes changed to a shade of red that gleamed at them through the holes of her mask.

The man at the front looked at her with wide eyes. “Uchiha…?”

“Now, tell me what’s in the bag.”

The man dropped his knife. His eyes were now lost and he spoke monotonously. “There is a small stone figure inside the bag.”

“Whose is it?”

“A feudal lord’s.”

“And why would you steal it?”

“Rumor says it has special powers.”

Hanako raised an eyebrow. “You’re saying too much!” His teammate hit him on the head, waking him up from the trance.

“What happened?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“You blurted us all out, you genius!”

Hanako’s eyes were trained on the bag as they still argued. Was it really the one they were sent to retrieve? They hadn’t told them anything about the stone’s properties, maybe so they wouldn’t want to keep it for themselves.

Before she could react, Kakashi jumped from his spot, knocked out all bandits and grabbed the bag. “Let’s go, mission’s over.” Hanako looked at him and nodded, before they headed back to the village.

 

* * *

 

In his office, Ibiki congratulated Hanako for completing her mission without trouble once again. “You seem to be getting the hang of it. Soon you’ll be able to handle yourself solo.”

Hanako looked at the ground. “What was that stone about? You didn’t explain why you wanted it.”

Ibiki looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“The bandit said the stone had special powers, what did he mean by that?” She looked at her teacher with stern eyes. “What special powers?”

“That’s nothing you should concern yourself about.” Ibiki pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.

“I risked my life to get that stone, I think I’m pretty much concerned about it.”

“Your job’s done. Go back home.” Ibiki walked through the door, and slammed it closed behind him. Hanako pressed her lips into a thin line and walked to the locker room.

Lockers were divided by departments, so she was surprised to see Kakashi standing at the door. She belonged to the Intelligence Department, while Kakashi belonged to Assassination. “What do you want, cap?”

Kakashi looked at her, “You seemed a little flustered after the mission. I wanted to check if everything was okay.”

“It’s okay, you may go now.” She walked past him into the room, but he followed.

“It doesn’t seem like it.”

Hanako opened her locker and sighed. It was almost empty inside, except for an extra uniform. She put all of her weapons and her Anbu mask inside before closing it. She tried to have no personal stuff in it. She didn’t want her teammates to know her personally, because she couldn’t allow herself to trust them yet. She put a hand on her arm, right over her Anbu spiraled tattoo. “I don’t understand…why must we risk our lives for objects we are not allowed to know anything about?” she asked.

Kakashi looked away with a sigh. He had first thought so too, but then he understood it was just how it is in the Anbu. They are just tools to complete missions. “Safety measures,” he replied. “We shouldn’t know the details in case we die or get captured.”

Hanako looked at him and huffed before walking away.

 

* * *

 

In her way home, Hanako closed her eyes and just let herself wander through the populated streets of Konoha. As she glided through several bodies in the crowd, she tried to relax. She drew a few breaths in and out until a familiar voice disrupted her calm. “You really disappeared after the Chuunin Exams, didn’t you?”

Hanako opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder to find Kazuki staring at her with a grin. Takeshi was standing right beside him, raising an eyebrow at her. Hanako smiled and turned around to face them. When Kazuki’s eyes focused on the uniform she was wearing, his grin faltered. “So, you joined the Anbu, huh?”

The Uchiha looked at the ground as her smile softened. “I’ve been working with Ibiki since the exams. I’m sorry, I kind of feel like I abandoned you guys…”

Takeshi chuckled with a shake of his head. “You have always been like this haven’t you?” Hanako looked up at him with curious eyes. “Why don’t we skip stones at the lake and catch up?”

 

 

It made Hanako really happy to be with Team 4 again. “It’s been a while since we were together like this…” she commented. Kazuki had taken a book with him and was reading at the edge of the dock, while Takeshi and Hanako were standing on the water surface, while trying to skip their stones to the other side of the lake.

“And whose fault is that?” Takeshi looked at her with a grin, making Hanako roll her eyes with a dry laugh.

“Shut up, Komatsu.”

Takeshi grinned. “Oh, it’s been a thousand years since you called me that, Hana-chan…” Hanako glared at him. “Still don’t like it?”

“Never will,” Hanako smiled as she skipped another stone that sunk before it reached the other side.

“So,” Kazuki spoke loud enough for the other two to hear him. “What’s the Anbu like?”

Hanako looked at him and shrugged. “Like a regular team, just that we don’t really talk to each other.”

Takeshi smiled mischievously. “Good, that way I won’t have to worry about any stupid Anbu getting too close.”

Kazuki smirked and looked at his friend from over his book. “Still going on with that stupid crush of yours aren’t you?”

Hanako shook her head with a sigh. “You guys really haven’t changed at all.” She skipped another stone, it gave three hops before sinking.

Kazuki looked at her, at the same time Takeshi gave him a look of complicity. “You forget this is my territory,” he said.

Hanako looked at him from over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow, only to find him making seals. “You son of a…”

But she didn’t get to finish as she was consumed by a wave of water.

 

* * *

 

Late that night, Hanako walked into her house, trembling and soaked in lake water. Her older sister, Hikari Uchiha, looked up at her from the diner when she walked in and smirked. “Did you have fun?”

Hanako glared at her sister and growled in response.

Hikari continued to write on her notebook. “Subject appears moody, almost like a mad animal. At the moment, it doesn’t appear to be contagious.” Hanako grabbed a towel from the laundry room and walked back to the dining room, where Hikari was sitting.

“Have you found out anything about the scroll I gave you?” she asked.

Hikari sighed. “No, and Shisui’s documents don’t have anything useful either. We’ll have to research a little bit more on our own if we want to know who she was before she was killed.”

“How did you know she was killed?” Hanako gave her a strange look.

“I have a feeling she didn’t die of old age,” Hikari said. “Especially if she used to be Madara’s lover.” Hikari closed her notebook and gave her sister a nod. “Ready to go training?”

Hanako smirked. “I thought we had established I was born ready.”

 

 

Shisui had told Hikari about Amane and her possible relationship with Hanako. She didn’t believe it at first, but slowly she started to give into the idea. Now, she was probably the most knowledgeable of the three. She had given everything into researching Amane and her story. Hanako helped her once in a while, but now that she worked in the Anbu, she mostly had only time for their evening training.

Shisui and Hikari didn’t have that much time either. They were both busy with their own missions, but they would find the time once in a while to read something about old clan history.

Now, with a fresh set of clothes on, Hanako looked at Hikari and Shisui in their personal training grounds.

“Are you sure you guys want to do this?” Hanako raised an eyebrow at them. “You guys seem too tired, I might crush you accidentally.”

Hikari looked back at her with a mocking grin. “It’s still too early before you can win against me.” She shook her head. “Come on, show me what your Mangekyou can do.”

It was like that. Day after day. Hanako would wake up, go to the Intelligence Division building. Sometimes go out on a mission, sometimes just stay and study some new information they had retrieved from somewhere or someone, then go back home. Sometimes she would train with Shisui, or Hikari, or both. Depending on who was in the village at the moment.

Lately, they couldn’t meet as much as they wanted. Hardly once a week. Hanako had found it hard to control her Mangekyou, and the dreams hadn’t stopped.

Every morning, she would wake up with a bad taste of everyone dying in a single night. And it was always the same dream. But she was too afraid of telling anyone, of anyone believing she was crazy, or worse. They could believe she was undergoing some class post-traumatic stress.

It was nothing like that. Somehow, Hanako knew the dream was real. But she couldn’t explain it.


	3. An Important Assignment

_“Itachi, I have_ a mission for you,” said the Third Hokage when Itachi walked into his office.

“Yes, Hokage-sama.” He nodded. The place was a mess. There were scrolls with new requests for missions scattered everywhere around, and there wasn’t a single spot that wasn’t already occupied by paper. Itachi was even standing on a bunch of them.

“I know it’s been only six months since you became a Chuunin, but I’ve received a recommendation for your promotion.” Itachi looked up at the elder. “The Council and I agree that you’re fit to become an Anbu.”

“Anbu?!” Itachi’s eyes widened with surprise. The Hokage nodded with serious eyes.

“Don’t be surprised. You are very capable, young Uchiha.”

Itachi smiled slightly, “Hanako is an Anbu too, isn’t she? Does it mean that—?”

“It’s unlikely you’ll be assigned to her same department,” the Hokage spoke with a light laugh. “But, you two may be assigned to the same mission every now and then.” The Hokage sat up. “I’ll assign you this mission with a special Jounin who will test your abilities.”

Itachi looked up at him. Shisui told him to be expecting such notice, especially since his father had been paying too much attention to him lately. This could be one of his sketches, there was probably a whole plan behind his promotion. But yet, he couldn’t help but feel a little proud of his achievements. “And that Jounin is…” At that moment the door of the office moved. Itachi looked over his shoulder to see Shisui coming in with a smirk decorating his face.

“I wasn’t expecting any less from you, Itachi.” Itachi smiled slightly at what Shisui said.

“Of course not.”

“Anyway,” the Hokage cleared his throat, calling the boys’ attention. “The mission is simple.” Shisui walked in to stand by Itachi’s side as they both had their attention trained on the elder. “The Feudal Lord of the Fire Country asked for you specifically to take this mission, Itachi. He became interested in you after he saw your match in the Chuunin Exams.” Itachi nodded.

The Hokage continued. “You are to escort his daughter to the border of the Fire Country. There, shinobi of the Water Country will receive her. The mission is labelled an A-rank. We believe there’s a group of B-rank criminals that seek to abduct the girl and then exchange her safety for a numerous amount of money. Beware.”

“How old is she?” Shisui asked, reading the written request while raising an eyebrow.

“Thirteen. She’s going to meet the Water Country’s Feudal Lord’s eldest son. They want to arrange a marriage in order to create peace between both lands.”

Shisui scoffed. “Of course, marriage is always the way the lords negotiate.”

“The problem that gathers our attention out of this negotiation is the Village Hidden in the Mist. Lately, we’ve been hearing a lot of trouble coming from their shinobi.” Hiruzen smoked from his pipe and looked at Itachi. “Remember Itachi: The result of this mission will guarantee your enrollment into Anbu.” The boy nodded.

“Yes, Hokage-sama.”

“We’ll leave tomorrow first thing in the morning,” Shisui added with a bow.

 

* * *

 

After the meeting in the Hokage’s office, Shisui had left quickly. He said he had something to do. Itachi was now heading back home, when Sasuke suddenly jumped out of a bush and landed right in front of his brother with a kunai in his hand.

“Nii-san! It’s time for training!” Itachi sighed. He knew he had to get ready for tomorrow’s mission.

“I’m sorry, Sasuke…”

“No, no, no!” Sasuke shook his head. “You promised! You promised you’d teach me the Shuriken Jutsu! Don’t make promises you won’t keep!” Sasuke looked up at his brother with inflated cheeks. Itachi only chuckled at his childish attitude and poked him on his forehead.

“I want to train with you, but I have an important mission tomorrow and—”

“Mission, mission…it’s like that’s the only word you know, Nii-san. Every day’s the same. ‘I have a mission’…” muttered Sasuke while crossing his arms over his chest, looking at Itachi with a frown. “Hanako-neechan told me the same thing. ‘I’m sorry Sasuke, I have a mission’,” he spoke with a high pitched voice, mimicking the girl’s, which made Itachi chuckle.

“You seem to have taken a liking to her,” he commented with a smirk as he crossed his arms. Sasuke forgot for a moment why he was angry and looked at him with a wide smile.

“Sure!” he exclaimed. “Hanako-neechan is really amazing! She plays with me and teach me stuff…and she never breaks her promises,” he added narrowing his eyes. Itachi shook his head. “What do _you_ think about her, Nii-san?” Itachi raised an eyebrow.

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, whenever I’m with her, she doesn’t stop talking about you and asking questions.” Itachi was truly surprised by what Sasuke had just said.

“What kind of questions?”

“Like what you like, your favorite color… Yesterday she asked me if you liked any girl.” Itachi’s eyes widened.

“And what did you say?”

“I told her you were into boys.” Itachi’s mouth became dry while Sasuke only smiled playfully. “ _But_ I’ll tell her I was lying if you train with me today.”

Itachi sighed tiredly. “Sasuke…”

“Come on, Nii-san! We barely spend any time together now…” Sasuke mumbled while glancing at the ground with a sad expression. Itachi smiled resignedly.

“Fine, let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

“Looking at boring scrolls again?” Hanako rolled her eyes and looked up at Kakashi. She was in the Intelligence Building’s library when he sat at her table, in the chair next to her, and crossed his arms over his chest. He was watching curiously the parchment in her hands.

Hanako rolled the scroll closed and smiled slightly. “Sometimes I’m curious about stuff,” she said.

“I thought you weren’t the reading type.” He looked around the room, even through the shelves, confirming it was just the two of them in it. “Yesterday… you seemed to realize the stone we were sent to retrieve had something strange, didn’t you?”

The Uchiha looked at her superior with new found interest. “You felt it too?”

Kakashi nodded, looking back at her with a serious expression.

Hanako pressed her lips into a thin line and focused her sight on the table. “Ibiki wouldn’t tell me what the village wanted it for. It just kind of makes more curious about finding out.”

“That makes two of us.” Hanako smirked slightly at his words, and leaned back in her chair.

“What kind of ideas run inside of your head, captain?”

Kakashi shrugged. “Are you free tonight?”

“Are you asking me out?”

“It’s not what you think. Don’t you want to know what Ibiki does with that stone? We can sneak in at early hours.”

Hanako closed her eyes, letting her head fall back as she sighed. “I’m curious, but I have things to do tonight.”

“How about tomorrow?”

Hanako opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling. “Tomorrow’s my free day.”

“Is your free day more important than the mysterious stone?”

Hanako really wanted to go with Kakashi, but her free days were always the days her Clan would organize their meetings. Fugaku considered her assistance was important, and programmed them on days she could go. She couldn’t precisely skip it.

“You don’t understand… I have things to do.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, and shook his head. “I’ll go by myself then, I’ll keep you updated.” He stood up and headed out. Hanako just observed him until he walked out the door, and another shinobi walked in behind him.

“Hanako-san?” she nodded at him. She wondered what he could want her for. “Fugaku-san is asking for your presence. He wants to meet in the Police building.”

Hanako was almost taken a back, it had to be something important for him to want to meet her so urgently. “I understand. Thank you for telling me.”

“ _Hai_!”

 

* * *

 

Hanako arrived at the Police Force building. Fugaku was waiting outside for her, and motioned her to follow him when their eyes met. She walked behind him down the roads of the Uchiha District, until she finally realized they were heading towards the Naka Shrine.

They walked inside and Fugaku lifted the seventh tatami. Hanako bit her lip, every time she walked down there she could feel shivers on her skin. Fugaku made a seal and the stone moved. “This is not precisely a meeting, but there’s something you should know,” he explained. The stone rose slowly, revealing an entrance. “It’s about Itachi,” Fugaku continued as Hanako followed him down the stone stairs. The entrance closed behind them. When they reached the room, Hanako looked at Shisui. He was standing in the middle of it, eyeing the monument stone.

“What about him?” Hanako asked as she eyed the leader suspiciously. Fugaku turned to look at her with his Sharingan. The fire from the torches lit the room dimly.

“Danzou has recommended Itachi to join Anbu.” Hanako’s eyes widened.

“Anbu?”

Fugaku nodded. “His enrollment will be assured according to his performance in his mission tomorrow,” he explained. Hanako looked at Shisui, but he was staring at the ground. His attention had been withdrawn from the stone.

“Yeah, moments ago I was with him at the Hokage’s. The mission consists of escorting the Fire Feudal Lord’s daughter to the border of the Fire Country,” Shisui added. “I will be going with him.”

“In that case, I’ll be going too,” said Fugaku. “I want to witness for myself Itachi’s improvements.” Shisui looked at the leader. There was no expression in his face, but Hanako could feel his uneasiness.

“What about tomorrow’s meeting?”

“It can be postponed.”

He huffed. “Suit yourself, Fugaku-sama.” Hanako gulped at the bitter tone in Shisui’s voice.

“Wait a minute.” She found her voice, and both Shisui and Fugaku looked at her. “Why was Itachi recommended to Anbu?”

“This is why I brought this up to you,” Fugaku spoke seriously while narrowing his eyes. “Hanako, you work for Ibiki. That means you have access to all records from Konoha shinobi, Anbu included.” Hanako already had an idea where he was heading. “Once Itachi joins Anbu, he will become our spy. We will have eyes and ears inside the government.”

“You want to take down the government?!” Hanako raised her voice in incredulity. “And moreover, are you using your own son as a tool?!”

“Listen to me, Hanako. Take a look.” Hanako looked away from him, not wanting to believe what she was hearing. “Everyone in the Clan is miserable. We were forced to move out of the center of the village. Far from stores, far from hospitals, far from restaurants, far from everyone else. Civilians only criticize our role as the police force and question our authority. Behind the lie of our auto-determination, we were casted out of Konoha a long time ago. According to the village’s council, we’re nothing but outsiders invading their territory.”

Fugaku approached the stone, Hanako looked at it while following his movements. She wondered if Fugaku could read what was written there. “Once I’m Hokage, I will change all of this. I will build a village that doesn’t cast anyone out, and doesn’t discriminate on who to protect.”

_“I want to change this world,” Madara said. “I want to bring the so desired peace. I want to create a world in which only love, joy, justice and tranquility triumph. A world in which only winners exist; where there’s only light and no wars nor hatred nor darkness. I want to create a world in which no ninjas exist, nor chakra, so that no one will be superior to anyone.”_

“That’s what Madara said,” Hanako muttered but only Shisui heard her. He looked at her with keen eyes. Fugaku continued to fantasize of his governance while staring at the stone.

“Itachi’s mission will not be a failure.” He finally pulled away and looked at Hanako. She returned his look, expressionless.

A coup d’état was a call for revolution, and revolutions were always violent. The Uchiha Clan conformed a high percentage in Konoha’s military power, and Fugaku was going to take advantage of that. A lot of blood would be spilled, and other villages would take the opportunity to attack upon Konoha’s vulnerability. It would evolve into a full rage war.

Shisui seemed to know what Hanako was thinking and walked to her side. He put a hand on her shoulder, hoping that would reassure her. “And what do you expect me to do?” she asked.

“When he’s inside, I want you to research on all of Konoha’s weak points. Anbu captains, important shinobi, anything that can deliver a strong hit to Konoha’s forces. Then, I want you to eliminate them.”

Hanako gritted her teeth. “Is this why you’ve been training me? So that you could use me as a weapon against our own village?”

Fugaku trained his eyes on her. Shisui tightened his hold on her shoulder. “Hanako, are you a member of this clan?” She didn’t say anything as she looked up at the leader. Over her silence, Fugaku continued. “Your father wanted me to protect you, but I also must protect the clan. If you want to honor your father, do as I ask. Show him how powerful you have become, show him you can protect the clan with me.” He turned his back on her, and focused back on the Uchiha stone.

“Before the Chuunin Exams I asked you to protect Itachi. Now, I want you to protect something much more important. I want you to protect the future of the Uchiha Clan.”


	4. The Departure

“ _Amazing Nii-san_! You even got a bull’s-eye on the target behind the rock!” Sasuke exclaimed before getting into stance with two kunai in his hands. “Alright! I can do it too!”

“Sasuke, let’s head home in a minute,” Itachi told him, making him childishly inflate his cheeks.

“But you said you’d teach me a new Shuriken Jutsu!”

“I have a bit of an important mission tomorrow, so I have to prepare,” he reminded his little brother.

“Nii-san, you liar…” Itachi smiled at his attitude and motioned for him to come closer. When Sasuke saw him, he quickly ran towards him.

“Forgive me, Sasuke. Next time, okay?” Itachi poked him on his forehead, making him stumble back. Sasuke looked at him with furrowed brows before he grinned mischievously.

“Watch me, Nii-san!” Itachi widened his eyes when he saw his little brother running towards the targets.

“Hey! Don’t get too hasty or…” Itachi flinched when he heard Sasuke’s ankle crack and he fell to the ground.

“Ow…It hurts…”

“Come on,” Itachi sighed when he came to stand beside him. “I’ll carry you.”

 

 

When they were on their way back to the Uchiha Compound, Sasuke let out a soft chuckle.

“Why is it that the one who hurt his leg is laughing?” Itachi raised an eyebrow at his little brother. “Could it be that you did that on purpose so I’d piggy back you home?”

“It’s not that! I’m just happy about starting at the Academy tomorrow.” Sasuke defended himself. “Now I might be able to finally catch up to you a little.” Itachi frowned as he looked at the ground. He had so much in his mind at the moment, he barely had any time to hang out with Sasuke anymore, but it was like it was the only thing he wanted. Somehow, he would have to force Sasuke to distance himself, so he could focus on his own training and not on Itachi’s.

They continued their path in silence, before Sasuke spoke again.

“You can put me down, Nii-san,” he muttered, making Itachi turn to look at him.

“You shouldn’t push yourself,” Itachi said to him, but didn’t receive an answer. Sasuke had zoned out. “What’s the matter?”

“Isn’t here where Dad works?” he asked, pointing at a building. Itachi followed his finger until his eyes came across a big building with the Uchiha crest at its top.

“Oh? That’s the Konoha Police Department,” Itachi said.

“I’ve always wondered… Why does the mark of the Police have the Uchiha family crest on it?” Sasuke asked.

“You noticed?” Itachi looked at him again.

“Of course!” Sasuke replied as if it were the most obvious thing.

“Hm…” The older Uchiha turned to look back at the building. “To put it simply, the ancestors of the Uchiha Clan were the ones who organized and founded the Village’s Police Force. That’s why the Uchiha crest is on its symbol,” he started to say. “The Uchiha Clan has always protected the public order in Konoha. Because of this, the Uchiha crest is also a sign of pride for the family. We’ve been reduced in comparison to the first ages, but even now, almost every member is part of the main police force and protect the village’s security.” Itachi looked sideways at his little brother. “That’s because a ninja who makes mistakes can only be stopped by a better ninja.”

“I knew Dad was amazing!” Sasuke exclaimed with wide eyes, making Itachi chuckle. “Are you going to join as well?” Sasuke’s question took him off guard.

“I’m not sure…maybe,” he muttered with a shrug, while resuming their way back.

“You should!” Itachi looked at his brother from over his shoulder. “When I grow up, I will also join. Dad will come tomorrow to the Academy Ceremony. The first step towards my dream!”

“Sure.” Itachi smiled at that.

 

 

When they reached the Compound, Itachi noticed that his father was waiting for them at the gate. “You’re late,” he said. “What were you doing?”

“Dad…” Sasuke muttered, slightly frightened.

“I need to speak to you now. Come quickly.” Itachi narrowed his eyes at the seriousness of his voice.

Once home, Fugaku asked his children to meet him in the meeting room. There he sat, waiting for them. Itachi and Sasuke sat before him.

“You are my son, indeed.” Fugaku chuckled. “Only half a year after raising your status to Chuunin, you’ve come this far.” Itachi looked at his father with no expression in his face. Lately, Fugaku had been focusing too much in his improvements, and he still expected even more. “For tomorrow’s special mission, I’ve decided to come along.” Itachi looked at his little brother from the tip of his eyes when he felt him flinch. “If this mission succeeds, Itachi, your enrollment into Anbu will almost be guaranteed.” Itachi looked at his father at the moment Fugaku activated his Sharingan. “Do you understand?”

“You don’t have to worry so much. Besides…” Itachi looked at Sasuke with a smile, encouraging him to speak.

Sasuke nodded slightly. “Um…Dad… Tomorrow is my—”

“Tomorrow’s mission is not only for you, but also a very important mission for the Uchiha Clan.” Fugaku interrupted him. Sasuke looked at the floor with a saddened expression.

“I guess I’ll refuse tomorrow’s mission after all…” Itachi suddenly said, making Fugaku and Sasuke look at him with wide and almost terrified eyes.

“What are you saying?! Have you lost your mind?!” Fugaku snapped at him. “You should know how important tomorrow is!

“Your right. Tomorrow is Sasuke’s Academy Entrance Ceremony, and I have to go.” Itachi smirked when his father’s eyes widened in surprise. He had clearly forgotten about it. “It’s customary for relatives to go. You received a notification, didn’t you, Father?”

Fugaku sighed tiredly and stood up. “I understand. I’ll go to the Academy.”

Without anything else to say, his father left the room. His two sons followed after him, Itachi turned to look at Sasuke while they were walking in the hallway, “Make sure to put ice on your left ankle.”

“Okay…” Sasuke was still a bit down, but Itachi hoped he would still have the same excitement for tomorrow.

 

* * *

 

Hanako swung her kunai, engulfed in wind chakra, towards a tree trunk. The knife pierced the bark in a swift attack and broke to the other side, piercing several trunks behind it until it was finally drilled into a stone. She clicked her tongue and grabbed another kunai.

Again, she threw the knife and it pierced through several trees. She had been doing that after training on her chakra control almost all night. She had destroyed most of her surroundings with wind techniques, and now she was doing the same with shuriken jutsu.

“You know, you could use some sleep.” Hanako heard Shisui’s voice behind her and frowned.

“Didn’t you have a mission?” She looked at him from over her shoulder.

“It’s still early, the sun hasn’t come up yet.” Hanako ignored him and continued to throw knives at trees. “You must be upset by what Fugaku-san said.”

“ _Upset_ doesn’t begin to describe how I feel.”

Hanako threw another kunai. Shisui observed her silently as she took out her anger on her kunai throwing. “Come with me to the gates,” he said. “It would be nice to have someone send us away.”

Hanako looked at the ground. “Does Itachi know what his father plans?”

“No. But I can assure you, Itachi is nothing like Fugaku-san.” Hanako smiled at that, hoping it was true.

 

* * *

 

Shisui walked ahead towards the gates but Hanako stayed behind to watch from a distance. She watched as Itachi approached his teammate, wearing his ninja gear. Hanako smiled. Itachi probably didn’t notice, but in time his way of walking had become more confident. His chin was always up when taking a step forward.

When Shisui saw him, he greeted him with a smile. “ _Oi,_ Itachi. Ready to head out?”

Itachi was about to answer, when another voice interrupted him. “No goodbyes?” Itachi looked over his shoulder to find her standing there. Hanako felt something move inside of her when his eyes trained on her figure. She had started to develop a strange attraction to the boy, but she was still afraid of admitting it.

“I thought you weren’t a morning person,” Itachi commented.

“I’m not, but I can make exceptions.” She smiled playfully.

“She spent all night training.” Shisui explained with a grin.

“Of course.” Hanako shrugged. “No one bothers me at night.”

“I suppose you’re off to sleep right now?” Shisui smirked.

“No, today is Sasuke’s first day at the Academy. He wants me to be there to see him.”

Itachi smiled slightly, and Hanako felt her insides burn. “We’ll be back shortly, don’t miss me too much,” he said.

Hanako scoffed. “I’ll just be with Sasuke. I kind of need someone to help me take care of my baby brothers, so you’d better be back before I adopt him.”

Itachi chuckled. “Of course.”

Shisui watched them with a smile. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak Hanako shushed him. “I’m not delivering any messages to Hikari on your part.”

He chuckled. “Well, I had to try.”

Hanako looked at both of them with a small but honest smile. “Do your best.”

“We will,” Shisui winked. “You are standing before two of the most promising Uchiha, come on.”

Hanako laughed at that. “We will be back before you know it,” Itachi said, approaching her. Hanako looked at him. He was close enough to her, she could smell his faint cologne. Suddenly, he leaned closer and placed a kiss on her cheek. The girl widened her eyes slightly as he pulled away with a smile and turned his back to her.

_“Ittekimasu.”_

Hanako smiled, looking at the ground to hide her blush from them. “ _Itterasshai.”_ Itachi and Shisui headed out into the forest, towards the Feudal Lord’s mansion. Hanako observed them until they disappeared from sight.

A new presence alerted her from behind. “Did they leave already?”

Hanako recognized him as Fugaku and sighed, without turning to look at him. “Yes.”

“I heard you would be at Sasuke’s entrance ceremony.”

“He invited me.”

“I see.” Fugaku nodded. “See you then,” he muttered before walking away. Hanako finally looked at him from over her shoulder, and watched his retreating back with a glare.

 

* * *

 

“I’m glad you’re finally here!” The Feudal Lord greeted the boys when they reached his mansion.

“We’re ready to proceed with the mission whenever you’re ready,” Itachi bowed respectfully at the lord.

“Fine, fine.” The man chuckled. “But first, I’d like to introduce you to my daughter.” He turned slightly towards a door. “Hisako! Come here, sweetie!” Itachi and Shisui looked towards the big door when it opened, and a young girl appeared. She was dressed in a formal red kimono, her blond hair was tied up in a bun and in her face there was a light touch of makeup. “I’d like to introduce you to your escort,” said the lord with a smile when his daughter reached his side.

“It’s nice to meet you, Hisako-sama.” Shisui nodded respectfully. “I’m Shisui Uchiha, at your service.” The girl nodded before turning towards the other boy. Itachi thought of sighing when he noticed the faint blush on her cheeks, but held himself together.

“My name is Itachi Uchiha,” he said curtly with a cold tone and an expressionless face.

“It’s a pleasure,” Hisako smiled softly. Itachi looked at Shisui when he heard him sigh loudly.

“Seriously, what kind of charm do you possess, Itachi?” The boy frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“Nevermind…” Shisui shook his head. “Just remember the point of this mission,” he said, starting to walk towards the exit of the mansion. Itachi watched him leave and soon started to follow him.


	5. The Daughter of the Feudal Lord

_At a more_ reasonable hour, Hanako walked towards the Academy. Sasuke had made her promise she would come to his Entrance Ceremony since his brother Itachi wouldn’t be there with him.

She reached the building and saw a lot of families gathered, speaking with each other. That made her get nostalgic at how it reminded her of the time she was enrolled into the Academy herself. A boy with short spikey hair caught her attention. Sasuke was standing with his father, as Fugaku-sama spoke to a teacher. The ceremony hadn’t begun yet.

When the leader of the Uchiha caught her glance, he saluted her with a nod. She bowed back with respect and smiled at Sasuke, who happily waved at her. He didn’t leave his father side, it was almost time for the ceremony to begin.

Looking around, Hanako noticed a small blond kid sitting alone in the swing in front of the Academy’s entrance. She smiled and decided to walk towards him.

“Hey, are you all right?” Hanako asked him with a small smile. The boy looked up at her for a second before looking back down. “Why are you all alone over here? Aren’t you a new student?” He shook his head.

“To be enrolled into school, we have to be escorted by a relative.” Hanako nodded.

“And where are your parents?”

The boy looked up at her. Hanako felt her stomach fall at the empty and sad look in his eyes. “I don’t have any. I’m alone.” Hanako frowned sadly and looked at the line of people. Kids waiting in line to say hi to their new teachers, while holding tightly into their parents hands.

The Uchiha could feel a knot in her throat when she turned back to the blond, he was staring at the Academy with yearning eyes.

“What’s your name?” She smiled slightly when he looked at her curiously.

“Naruto…Uzumaki…” he responded hesitantly. Hanako’s smiled grew when an idea popped in her mind. She would make this boy smile.

“Well, Naruto,” she extended her hand in his way. “The ceremony is about to begin. We should get in line.”

“What?” Naruto’s blue eyes widened. “But you’re not my relative…”

Hanako smirked and kneeled to his level. She spoke softly. “But they don’t know that, do they? They only need someone to sign your papers.”

“You really would do that for me?” His eyes gleamed as he jumped off the swing. Hanako smiled and patted her shoulder.

“Hop on.”

Naruto got onto her back happily, “ _Ano sa…_ ” He asked. “What’s your name, neechan?”

“Call me Hanako.”

 

_* * *_

Itachi and Shisui had traveled for various hours when they decided it was time for a break, so they put up camp. Hisako, and some of her bodyguards sent on her father’s petition, remained on the small clearing setting up tents; meanwhile the young ninja went to gather some wood for the fire and some clean water from the river.

“Itachi,” Shisui suddenly called to the other boy when they were gathering the wood. Itachi just turned to look at him, waiting for him to continue. “The lord’s daughter seem to have taken a liking to you.” Itachi sighed, knowing what was probably coming next.

“She has the right to.” Shisui looked at him with stern eyes.

“Itachi, we have a mission to complete.” Itachi’s lips tilted upwards.

“I never said I thought the same way about her,” Itachi picked up some logs from the ground and held them in his arms. “Plus, we’re only taking her to the border and then we’re going back. We won’t be there by the time she’s told she’s getting married.” Shisui sighed, shaking his head.

“Don’t stick too much to the plan. The situation may change and we may have to take her all the way to the Water Country.” Itachi didn’t say anything after that.

They both returned to the camp to find all the tents ready and everyone just sitting there, waiting for them. Itachi helped start a fire and cook some fish Shisui had caught in the river. Soon, they all ate and went to sleep. Shisui assigned Itachi to keep the first guard.

Itachi sat next to the fire, watching everyone as they lay down. Suddenly, he saw a figure moving from the tip of his eye and noticed Hisako had stood up and was slowly approaching him. Itachi kept his guard up in case there was anything else around, and he was also observing the girl in case she might try something.

Itachi knew Shisui was still awake. He wouldn’t sleep until Hisako had gone to sleep herself. Itachi also knew that Shisui was waiting to see what would be his reaction.

Hisako sat in front of the fire, right beside Itachi. They sat there, in silence, for a moment until she broke the peace by asking some questions. “Hey, Itachi-kun…what is it like to be a ninja?” Itachi looked at her shortly before drifting his eyes back to the fire. He didn’t reply to her question. However, that didn’t stop her from asking something else. “When did you become a ninja?” she asked again, but yet Itachi didn’t answer. He didn’t have the need to answer her questions. “Do you have a girlfriend?” He certainly didn’t expect that inquiry.

Itachi’s mind tricked him when an image of Hanako appeared in his head at the mention of the word ‘girlfriend’, and he snapped “That’s none of your business.” He had had enough of her questioning. Shisui had tensed at his reaction, making Itachi press his lips into a thin line. Itachi took a breath to calm himself before speaking again. “You should go to sleep, Hisako-san. Tomorrow, we’ll be on our way again and who knows when may we rest again.” This time his voice was gentle. The girl stood with a nod and walked towards her tent. Itachi sighed in relief when she entered and zipped it up.

Shisui had gone to sleep as well, letting Itachi relax by himself. He couldn’t help his mind wandering back to Hanako, imagining what she could be doing. Training was the most accurate guess. Itachi smiled.

 

* * *

 

Hanako destroyed the last training puppet with a fire jutsu. Fire has been her affinity since she mastered the techniques Madara had taught her, but she was mainly trying to get a hold of other types of natures, like wind. Hanako clicked her tongue, she had been training nonstop for the past six months. She hadn’t seen nor heard from Madara, but she could feel Zetsu watching her from the shadows, probably to keep his tabs on her.

Hanako let herself fall on the grass under her with a sigh. She used the last of her chakra on that jutsu, so it was probably time to head home before she exhausted herself. She still hadn’t learned anything about the Mangekyou Sharingan, and even less figured anything about the strange dreams she was having. Shisui and Hikari didn’t have that much luck either.

The fire in the last training puppet was slowly dying down as smoke rose into the dark sky. “You seem to be working hard.”

Hanako closed her eyes when she heard Kakashi’s voice. “What are you doing here? I think I told you today was my free day.”

“You also told me you had things to do, but I see all you do is waste yourself, and take out your anger in poor training puppets who have done nothing to hurt you, yet anyways.”

“What do you mean by ‘yet’?” Hanako commented with a laugh.

“I don’t know, if you keep murdering training puppets they might rebel against you.” Kakashi shrugged, sitting beside where Hanako was lying.

Hanako smiled slightly. “I’m not taking my anger on them, so they don’t have a reason to rebel against me. I’m just training, you know, so I don’t get rusty before our next mission.”

Kakashi sighed. “Actually, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Hanako huffed. “No more bad news please, they can wait until tomorrow.”

He frowned. “More?” Hanako didn’t reply, she had her eyes closed and was breathing deeply. Kakashi would have believed she was asleep if she hadn’t been talking only moments ago. “Well, this can’t wait until tomorrow. I’m going back to team Ro, as their captain. Apparently, there’s a high possibility a new intern will be assigned to my team, so I have to train them.”

“A newbie?” Hanako smirked, and opened her eyes to look at Kakashi. “You don’t happen to know who he is, do you?”

“I didn’t even know it was a ‘he’…” He arched an eyebrow as he looked at the girl. “You know who it is, don’t you?”

Hanako looked back at the sky. “For a fact, I do. He’s being tested as we speak.”

“Someone you know?”

“A little too well,” she sighed. “It’s Itachi Uchiha. The leader’s son. He was recommended by Danzou.”

Kakashi looked at her with soft eyes. “Were those the bad news you were referring to earlier?”

“He’s not fit for Anbu,” Hanako looked at the burnt puppet. The fire had already died down. “I’m afraid it will change who he is, but Fugaku-sama didn’t seem to care about it when he accepted the offer without consulting it with Itachi.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on him. Just like I went easy on you.”

Hanako looked at him. “You were going easy on me?”

“Of course,” he chuckled. “Normally I’m not so nice to people I just met, but it was different with you. I actually wanted to be nice to you.”

Hanako smiled. “You promise you will be nice to him too?”

Kakashi shrugged. “I can play nice.” Hanako rolled her eyes. “Remember I’m a captain of the Assassination Department, I can’t be too nice or people will talk about me being bland. I can’t have that.”

“Sure, being rude will grant you the respect you deserve.”

Kakashi put a hand on her head. Hanako looked at him with surprise, she didn’t expect such a gesture. Especially not how he looked at her. “We can still go on a last mission together.”

Hanako smiled. “Where do we meet?”

 

 

It was ten o’clock when Hanako finally got home. She took off her sandals and walked directly to the kitchen for something to eat. Hikari was sitting at the table, reading some old scrolls Hanako recognized from the Uchiha Library. “What are you doing?” she asked her, grabbing an apple from the fruit basket.

“Studying,” Hikari replied curtly, not even once taking her eyes off the parchment. Hanako sat across from her at the table and checked some of the scrolls she had around her.

“Jutsu of the Clan?” she raised an eyebrow at her as her lips tilted up into a smirk.

“Some of them are pretty interesting.” That made Hanako chuckle.

“Sure.” Hanako took a bite from her apple as he looked at her sister with a mischievous smile. “For real, what are you doing?”

Hikari looked at her and sighed. “The Hokage asked me to update him on the clan’s abilities.” Hanako frowned.

“All of them?”

“Of course I’m not including the Kinjutsu.” She rolled her eyes. “The clan may have its secrets too.”

“Why would the Hokage ask for such thing?”

Hikari shrugged. “I’m not sure. Last month he asked me to research the Edo Tensei.”

Hanako raised an eyebrow. “Edo Tensei?”

“Yes, Orochimaru stole a scroll that had it, so the Hokage asked me to investigate it in case he decided to use it against the village,” she replied returning to the scrolls.

“Hm, no idea. What kind of jutsu is that?” Hanako took another of her apple. She didn’t know what type if jutsu could it be, but she knew that having Orochimaru in the equation meant it couldn’t precisely be a good thing. Hikari looked at her.

“That’s classified information.”

Hanako’s brows arched up. “I can keep a secret.”

“I’m not even supposed to tell you I’m doing research!” Hikari almost yelled exasperated.

“Calm down,” Hanako rolled her eyes. “You’re going to wake the twins up, and I’m sure Mom won’t be too happy about it.”

Hikari sighed. “The Edo Tensei can reanimate souls by summoning them from the pure world in exchange of a living soul.”

Hanako widened her eyes. “Does that kind of jutsu really exist?”

Hikari nodded. “But you don’t know about it.” She looked at Hanako warily. “Still there’s something bothering me.”

“What?”

“The Hokage often asks me personally for this kind of missions. This time, though, he only sent an Anbu with the request. That’s strange, he doesn’t like to involve other people in this matter.” Hanako narrowed her eyes, taking another bite from her fruit.

“Are you sure it was the Third?” Hanako asked. “It could have been Danzou for all I know.”

“I don’t think he’ll go that far.” Hikari shook her head.

“You can never be too careful.” Hanako shrugged. Hikari gave her a strange look, but her sister only raised her brows for a second before smiling.

 

* * *

 

Hours passed and Shisui woke up. He stood up and walked towards Itachi, who looked up at him with tired eyes. The fire had already died down.

“It’s time to switch, I’ll keep guard until morning.” Itachi nodded, stood from his place next to the fireplace and headed to the spot Shisui had been lying at. “Wait,” Shisui stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. Itachi looked at him. “You look troubled,” he said. “Is this about Hanako?” Itachi looked away, letting out a dry chuckle.

“How come everything is about her lately?” Shisui was staring at him seriously. Itachi knew that he could see right through him, so he wouldn’t even waste his time trying to shrug it off. “She’s been acting weird since the Chuunin Exams,” Itachi commented. “But… I really don’t have much to say since I’ve hardly spent time with her. Only if I’m either with you or with Sasuke.” He frowned. Shisui suddenly started to laugh, catching Itachi’s attention. “What’s so funny?”

“I don’t think she’s the one acting strange, Itachi,” he commented. “If anything, you are.” Itachi looked at him with a frown. What was that supposed to mean?

Itachi sighed knowing that Shisui probably wouldn’t explain himself any time soon.

“Do you like her?” Shisui asked. A small smile came to Itachi’s lips.

“I think so,” he looked up to the other Uchiha, only to find him smiling back at him.

“I know you do.” He patted him on his back. “Go sleep for a bit.” Shisui pushed him away. Itachi chuckled and lay down next to a tree, falling asleep shortly after.


End file.
